At Last
by CharlieSwagron
Summary: Another Caskett wedding fic that so many are doing. It won't be very long, but it'll be at least a couple chapters


**Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or any of the characters.**

**A/N: I thought I'd try my hand at attempting a wedding fic like so many others are doing as well. I hope you like it and this will only be a couple chapters long. To those of you who are reading "A Night to Remember," I should have an update for it sometime this weekend, I'm hoping. Enjoy!**

**A/N 2: This is the wedding dress I picked out for Beckett. Just remove the spaces. www . yourmomhatesthis images / Wedding - Dresses - 001a5 . jpg**

_Okay, you can do this, Rick,_ Castle kept saying to himself over and over again. _You don't even have the hard part. You just stand here and wait for her to come to you._ Castle inhaled deeply and released his breath slowly in an attempt to calm his nerves. He was currently standing in front of the minister with his back to the gathered crowd. Esposito and Ryan, both acting as his best men since he couldn't choose between them, were standing by his side, trying their best to calm the groom down.

"Take it easy, Castle," Ryan told him. "Any minute now she's gonna walk through those doors, ready to exchange vows and marry you for life."

"Yeah, bro. Just relax," Espo chimed in.

"That's easy for you to say, Esposito; you've never even come close to marrying someone. And you," he turned to Ryan, "you were just as nervous on your wedding day so you can't tell me to relax either."

"Yeah, but haven't you already done this like twice before?" Esposito asked him.

Castle gave him a look. "This time's different and you both know it. Kate's nothing like Meredith or Gina. This is it for her _and _me." Taking his attention off of them, he focused instead on the fact that he was about to marry Kate Beckett, the woman he'd been chasing for the better part of 4 years before they'd actually gotten together.

He and Kate had set the date for their wedding months earlier and had agreed upon May 7th, the day she'd shown up at his door, soaking wet from the rain, and they dove head first into a relationship. She ended up leaving most of the wedding planning to him, only having a few ideas to add and several objections.

"No, Castle," she'd told him. "I don't want a giant wedding. We're not inviting the entire city of New York, and that's final."

When he'd asked her whether or not she wanted to get married in a church, she had said no. She wanted something much more intimate than a massive church to get married in. So here they were, in the backyard of his house in the Hamptons, looking out at the gorgeous beach. This was where the ceremony and the reception would be held.

Castle was suddenly pulled from his thoughts by the sound of music playing and Esposito saying beside him, "Here we go."

Licking very dry lips, Castle kept his back to the crowd, waiting until he heard the music specially picked out for Kate's entrance. Out of the corner of his left eye, he saw Lanie, the maid of honor, and Alexis, the other bridesmaid, take up their positions. Glancing over, he beamed at his daughter who was shooting him a quick thumbs up.

He swallowed a lump in his throat when Kate's music began to play. He'd had to argue with her on this topic. She'd wanted just the regular wedding march, but he'd insisted that they play an actual song.

"C'mon, Beckett," he'd pleaded. "This is, like, the love song of the century."

"Which is why we should use it for our first dance," she'd countered.

"That would be too cliché, Beckett, and we are anything _but_ clichéd," he'd deadpanned. After giving it some thought, she'd finally given in, admitting that it would be nice way to walk down the aisle.

Castle heard the rustling of cloth as friends and family stood up to watch his wife-to-be appear. Christina Perri's "A Thousand Years" was playing from the speakers the DJ they'd hired had set up. Taking a deep breath, he turned around and froze. She looked _stunning._

He couldn't believe that it was possible for her to become even more beautiful than she already was, but once again, she had proven him wrong. He was just simply dressed in a black tuxedo that was never intended to make the groom stand out. But her. Her dress was the ordinary white and had no straps, leaving her shoulders bare except for the curls in her hair that fell over them. There were designs of intricate beading down her right side. The train wasn't very long at all which Castle had expected. "I don't want to trip over it and fall on my face," she'd told him. Overall the dress was very plain and not very elaborate, but Kate had a way of making it look like it was fit for the Queen of England. Her bouquet was made of simple white roses. She was absolutely breathtaking and he was certain his face showed exactly what he was thinking.

Her father was walking her down the aisle, but Castle hardly noticed him. All he could focus on was the gorgeous woman that was about to agree to become his wife. He vaguely heard Ryan whisper to Espo, "She's beautiful, man."

"I know. Castle's a lucky guy," was the reply.

Kate's eyes had been locked with his from the moment he'd turned around. Both sets were slightly misty with unshed tears. Neither could believe that they were finally here.

As Kate and Jim Beckett approached, Castle took one step forward to receive Kate from her father. The song that Castle had forgotten was playing, faded out as the pair came to a halt in front of him. Jim wrapped his arms around his daughter.

"I love you, Dad," Kate told him.

"I love you too, Katie." He released her and kissed her cheek. Taking her hand, he put it in Castle's and shook the other man's hand. "Take care of her, Rick."

"You never need to worry about that, Jim," he said.

As Jim took a seat in the front row, Castle and Beckett went to stand in front of the minister, still holding hands, smiles permanently etched on their faces. She handed her bouquet to Lanie and faced the man who would officiate the wedding.

The minister waited until everyone had sat down before starting the ceremony. "We are gathered here today to witness the bonding of Katherine Houghton Beckett and Richard Edgar Castle in holy matrimony. Before we begin, Richard has requested that we hold a moment of silence for Johanna Beckett, Katherine's mother, who tragically left us 14 years ago and could not be with us on this celebratory day."

Surprised, Kate looked at Castle. She hadn't known that he was planning this part of the ceremony. His smile widened and he whispered, "You didn't think I'd forget Johanna Beckett on the most important day of her daughter's life, did you?"

Tears came to Kate's eyes and she gave him a watery grin. Squeezing his hand tight and feeling his thumb caress hers lightly, she stood tall and thought of her mother.

_ I hope I've made you proud, Mom_, she thought.Glancing at the man beside her who currently had his head slightly bowed and eyes closed as his thoughts went to her mother, she added, _You would've loved him, Mom. I know I certainly do._

"Thank you," the minister concluded the moment of silence with. "Katherine and Richard have opted to write their own vows. Richard, you may go first."

Castle turned to face his bride and took her free hand in his own, holding both in between them. He was suddenly very nervous again. Gazing into her eyes, he began. "For all that I'm a writer, I find myself with a sudden lack of words every time I look at you, Kate. From the very first moment I laid eyes on you, I wanted you. I _knew_ I had to have you in my life. Granted, both of us know that what we have wasn't love at first sight. You may have _slightly_ disliked me at first," he paused as he heard knowing laughter roll throughout their friends.

Kate raised an eyebrow and said incredulously, "_Slightly?_"

He shrugged innocently. "Yes, and it was all unwarranted too."

"Castle, you were an overgrown man-child who got on my last nerves. I don't think that was _slight_ dislike."

"Tomato, tomahto," was response. "Doesn't mean that you didn't fall for me first."

She shook her head. "I still can't believe you think that when we all know that it was really you who fell for me first."

"Kate, we've had this argument before and we'll keep having it until you just admit that you liked me before I like you. It's okay, just say so," he told her.

"I did _not_ like you first!" she insisted. "_You _were the one following me around like a lost puppy."

The two had forgotten that they were standing in front of a very amused audience at this point. Ryan and Esposito shared a look and Ryan asked, "D'you think we should say something?"

"Probably."

Ryan sighed and then whistled sharply, earning their attention. When they stared at him, he said, "You know, as much as we all would _love_ to hear you argue all day about who fell in love with whom first, we actually came here to see a wedding so, Mom, Dad, if you could just finish up…."

Kate blushed, remembering that they weren't alone and she had actually come here to marry Castle, not have an old argument with him. "Sorry," she told everyone. "We sometimes get a little carried away with this stuff."

"Yeah, we know," came the voice of one other homicide detective from the precinct. As the crowd laughed, Rick cleared his throat and prepared to continue his vows.

"So as I was saying…. As the years went on, I discovered more about you: your mother, your childhood, your likes and dislikes. You fascinated me and captivated me like no other and with every passing day I found myself falling more and more in love with you. The day you agreed to marry me was, what I thought, the happiest day of my life, excluding the birth of my daughter." He quickly winked at Alexis and returned his gaze back to Kate, who was smiling softly. "Turns out I was wrong; today just left that day in the dust. You are perhaps the most remarkable, maddening, challenging, and frustrating person I've ever met and I absolutely love you for it. The fact that you chose me to spend the rest of your life with leaves me in awe and I promise you that I will spend the rest of our days together making you the happiest, most adored woman on this planet because you deserve nothing less. You're extraordinary, Kate, and I will love you. Always."

The minister turned to Kate and said, "Now you, Katherine."

The bride wiped the tears that had formed away, took a deep breath, and said, "When we first met, I thought you were insufferable. I couldn't stand working with you and your wild, eccentric theories drove me insane." She smiled. "I had a wall made of titanium and concrete around my heart; no one was allowed in. But you, Castle…Rick, you found a way in. You didn't just break through that wall, you demolished it so that nothing was left standing. It may have taken four years, but it was well worth it. You are the most wonderful, caring, sweet, thoughtful, and kind-hearted man I've ever met and I can't wait to share the rest of my life with you. You made all the songs make sense and I know that I will love you every day of my life. Always."

At the conclusion of her vows, the minister asked Esposito and Ryan, "May I have the rings?" They each had one: Espo holding Kate's while Ryan held Castle's.

They gave them to the man and he handed Kate's ring to Castle, saying, "Richard, place this ring on her finger and repeat after me: 'With this ring, I thee wed'."

Castle gently slid the wedding band onto Kate's finger and, while staring at her with pure adoration, said, "With this ring, I thee wed."

The minister handed Kate Castle's ring and instructed her in the same manner he had done to Castle.

"With this ring," Kate told the man in front of her while placing the band on his finger, "I thee wed." When she finished, the two linked hands again.

The minister announced, "By the power vested in me by the state of New York, I know pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the—"

Before the minister could finish his sentence, Castle was pulling Kate to him, dipping her back, and planting a giant kiss on her lips. He could distantly hear the sound of clapping and cheering in the background, but most of his attention was on the woman who had just officially become his wife. Her arms were wrapped around his neck and his were around her back.

Pulling apart, Castle pulled Kate up to stand next to him. They looked out into the cheering crowd, both wearing matching grins that stretched all the way to their ears. Castle grabbed Kate's hand and the two began their walk back down the aisle, this time as husband and wife.

They passed Martha, who was crying unabashedly and Jim, who looked to be close to the same state. Captain Gates was there with her husband, and while she wasn't Castle's biggest fan, even she could appreciate the beauty of the ceremony and was extremely happy for her best detective. Ryan and Esposito were cheering the loudest, knowing that this day had been long in the making. Alexis and Lanie were beaming and the older woman had tears running down her face.

Kate and Castle strolled hand-in-hand through the doors that Kate had first entered through and into his house. Halting inside, they looked at each other briefly. Then Kate was on him.

**Thank you so much for reading this. I'm working on the second chapter now, but I don't know when I'll be finished it. It shouldn't be too long, though. Please feel free to review and leave a comment if you wish to.**


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